Thankful for Our Freedom

I am a patriot through and through. My favorite place in this entire country is Colonial Williamsburg in Virginia. It is a historic town, an exact replica of what it looked like in the 18th century. There you get to walk among the buildings and people that took a stand against tyranny. And if you pay attention, you will feel the profoundness of it all.

These were real people who decided they needed to take action against wrongs. They weighed the cost, asked challenging questions, and decided that they needed to stand for what was right. They did this knowing they may have to sacrifice wealth, families, even their own lives in order to do what is right. Invited in, you can hear their debate and experience what they were fighting against.

You can see what freedom meant to them. The rights of freedom—what we take for granted—that they believed in and fought for. They took a stand and said people should be treated differently than animals because they are made in the image of God. They rebelled against the tradition of title, land, money and power—believing instead that people should be given equal opportunity in a free market to work hard and keep what they work for. They believed in representation—that the people who's everyday lives are affected by the government's rules should have a say in what those rules are. They believed that every person has a right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. You may be yawning now. Because you have been living with these rights since the day you were born. But don't make the mistake of thinking that these "normal" rights are commonly accepted everywhere.

Because when you look at the rest of the world, you realize that our experience is unique.

In many other countries you are only protected by your money and power. Here, the poor and weak are protected equally by law.

In many other countries you are told how you can think and believe. Here you can think and believe however you want to.

In many other countries most women and children are abused and dominated over, and the attacker often goes unpunished. Here women's rights are being fought for, and we punish those who harm a woman or a child.

In many other countries, it could mean death to speak out in any way against the government. Here every person has the right to voice their non-violent opinion against anything or anyone.

Here we are safe. Here we are not afraid.

I am thankful to live in this country. Thankful to the men who founded it on Biblical principles, recognizing that humans have rights just by being born. Thankful to every person who sacrificed for my right to disagree... or agree... as I choose. Thankful for those who are still fighting for my freedom.

And Onward!

Making New Ruts

We often get stuck in ruts. It's easiest to keep doing the same thing—once a pattern (good or bad) is established, we tend to keep doing things the same way. One of my deepest ruts is how fast I live my life. How much I try to squeeze into each day to live up to my own expectations. How hard it is for me to be okay with down-time. I have been consciously making different choices to try and get out of this rut for the last 3 years, but because it is so ingrained, it has been slow going. Of course there has been progress! I have become so much more okay with slowing down, saying no, and doing things just for fun. But a recent event has given me the opportunity for some concentrated time in the new ruts.

The event? Being sick! Sicker than I have ever been in my life. Sick and recovering for 2 weeks! Sick enough that all of my energy went just to taking care of myself.

It was hard to do. Taking care of myself is something I have only really learned to do in the last few years... when I found the GAPS protocol. It was then that I started to believe that it is important, and right, to take care of myself. And I began learning how to do it. I have been a slow learner... being busy and productive was so deeply ingrained in me that it has required a lot of purposeful energy and conscious thought to make choices that take me out of that rut.

I still considered myself a beginner at self-care. But after these two weeks I may be about to level up!

I had to let go of so many things as I allowed my body to heal. And I mean really let go. I could not catch up, make up, or push through like I usually can. I was focused on one thing: me. And that focus was obligatory, I had no real choice in the matter.

As I canceled my schedule day after day, I had to remember that my worth was unattached to my productivity or presence.

As I thought about everything on my to-do list that was not getting done, I had to remember that God is in control of growing my business.

As I gave my body the best support I could using herbs, essential oils, vitamins, and meat stock, I had to remember that healing is complex, and our bodies are amazing!

As I wondered at times if my body was strong enough to handle whatever was going on, I had to remember that it was okay to ask for help, and to receive it.

I was sick enough for long enough that I also needed time to recover. That means I couldn't jump back in a full speed once I was feeling better. I had to evaluate my important tasks, and be realistic in what I could accomplish in between naps. Part of me thinks that I will go back to how I was before. But most of me doesn't want that. Slowing down is refreshing and freeing. Tasks are so much easier when I let God carry the burden, instead of trying to bear it on my shoulders alone. I don't know if I can stay out of my old ruts, but I pray that I can. I want to keep making these new ruts deeper.

As I go, Onward!

Sharing My Story... For Hope

"Rear-View Mirror, a GAPS Journey"

I was asked to write a guest blog post sharing my story of healing. It published today, and I wanted to share it with you all here.  

I had two main purposes for writing this story.

The first was to provide an honest view into what a typical up-and-down healing journey looks like, both physically and emotionally.

The second was to offer encouragement or hope for your own journey.

 You can read my post on the Living Well Nutrition blog, HERE.

And if my story gives you hope or inspires you to share something about your own journey, share it with us in a comment below!  

Onward!

Take Courage

I had an interesting week last week. For the first time in a while, my body stopped me in my tracks. I'm not saying that I've had symptom-free days every day for the last few months. I have had the occasional headache, been sick with colds, and felt the effect of too much detox or too little sleep.  

But this was a little more.

For four days I was out of commission, only doing the bare essentials. I cut out all the “extras" in my diet, ate foods only on GAPS Intro Stage 1, and increased my fat and desiccated liver intake. I went to bed hours early, took naps during the day, and still felt exhausted. I drank enough water and took enough detox baths to dry up a river, and I applied essential oils liberally. Nothing really helped, beyond occasionally providing a few minutes of partial relief.

I am still not sure what exactly was going on, but as best as I can figure, it seemed to be some kind of significant detox reaction. I had a headache that wavered between annoying and a migraine, sore muscles, tinnitus, nausea, VERY tired eyes, and a brain that simply would not focus. None of these were fun, but what brought me to tears was not any of these symptoms.  

It was fear.  

Fear that I had missed something (since I wasn’t sure why I felt so awful).

Fear that I had pushed myself too hard (although I had been pacing myself).

Fear that my headache would never end (this did seem logical at the time).

Fear that my eyesight was failing (my vision was fine two days before).

Fear that I would feel like this forever, I would never again feel well, and I was wrong to think that I could be a “healthy” person. 

And just fear. Fear about nothing.

But these fears were overwhelming my thoughts and reason.

My overwhelming fear only lasted a short time, because I have a great Friend who does not leave me alone. He gives me hope (see post), and I really couldn't do life without Him. He walked with me in that dark moment and let me know He was with me, and that it was going to be okay. That brought me peace, even though I still believed that my headache would be a constant companion for the rest of my life (honestly, I really did).

While it was not all rainbows and unicorns after that, the paralyzing fear was gone. It was good to remember how hopelessness feels, a feeling I have often experienced on my health journey. When it feels nearly impossible to believe that anything could change, that better health could be possible. It's good to be reminded, so I can be grateful, and so I can better help you. It takes courage to go to another practitioner, change your diet yet again, or make another lifestyle change. It takes tremendous courage and strength to keep striving for better health, when health seems to be an impossible goal. If this is where you are at right now, you are so very strong and courageous. I want you to know that.

From years of experience I know that it takes courage to be sick. But over the last few months I have learned that it also takes courage to be well. It takes courage to live outside of the awful (yet familiar) limits of a health condition. Courage to eat a food that is now okay for you, order off a restaurant menu, or eat a food your friend offered without grilling them about ingredients. Courage to let your just-in-case prescription run out. And it takes tremendous courage to live your life in freedom, even when facing (like I did last week) a short illness, detox reaction or bad day. Courage to push the limits because you refuse to be intimidated by them anymore.

And...

...sometimes you melt in the middle of the floor, in tears, because you think your health has collapsed and you're probably going to be blind soon!

That’s okay too!

Courage is not the absence of fear. In fact, without something to fear, there can be no courage.

Don’t be ashamed of your fear, but don’t let it rule you, either. Remember, you are strong, and you are made for more.

No matter where you are in your health journey, take courage!  

As we go, Onward!

Consistency... It's the Secret Sauce

Here we are, at the beginning of a brand new year, making resolutions and stuff... And I think we should ask ourselves the question: Should we? As we all know, most resolutions don't stick around past the first few weeks of January.

Why?

Because we didn't remember to put the secret sauce into the recipe. We can make goals. We can make them SMART goals. We can think through the ways we want to be different and come up with actions steps to achieve them. And these things are the meat and potatoes of change. They are important and we need them. But nobody wants to eat plain meat and potatoes all day long. Why not? Because it gets boring and monotonous. Meat and potatoes are made to be eaten with something more.

Enter Secret Sauce...

Do you have a secret sauce, one that makes food so good? Don't you wish you could put it in and on everything? It just makes everything work! (My secret sauce is fermented garlic juice.) The secret sauce for achieving goals is consistency. It's what just makes it work! The best-written list of habits will not help you achieve your goals, even if you do all 75 of them on January 1st (we all do it).

Every goal you have successfully reached was brought about by doing a few small habits consistently for a period of time.

Consistency is subtle.

When I add fermented garlic juice to a pot of soup, or my spaghetti sauce, I couldn't tell you why it tastes better. It just does. The change brought about by consistent habits is like this. Most of the time you do not see the results "As Seen On TV," but change is still taking place! Taking probiotics every day for a year will cause a significant change in your gut flora. Writing down three things you are thankful for every day will change the way you see life. Walking for 15 minutes in the sun, 5 days a week, will result in 65 hours of sun-exposure and exercise a year! Little things like this can make HUGE differences in your health. And these changes usually last, which is more than can be said for most "fad diets" or "get rich quick schemes."

So what should you do this year? Keep that habit list short!

1. Write down a few goals–the most important changes that need to happen in your life.

2. Come up with one (or maybe two) habits related to each goal that you can do consistently.

3. Prioritize and group them. Some go together, like drinking more water and less soda.

4. Startsome of those habits. Most experts recommend starting only one or two habits at a time.

5. When those are established, then you can start another one or two. Remember that consistency, not numbers, is your secret sauce!

Accountability helps consistency. 

It's much easier to be consistent when someone else knows what you have committed to do. Share with the community! Tell us one or two of the habits you are committing to in a comment below.

A New GAPS Book Almost Published

It has been somewhat of a secret project, not because it needed to be, but because I had no idea if or when this would actually happen, but now it has! There will soon be some new resources to those on the GAPS diet... I am excited to announce... I am about to become a published author! I have been quiet (alright, absent) on this blog for a little while because it has been crunchtime for the book and journal that are about to be published.  

Here is what you need to know..

Both of these GAPS resources will be available this coming Monday, November 28th (Cyber Monday) on Amazon.

Introducing: Notes From a GAPS Practitioner: Using Diet to Unlock the Body's Healing Secrets, available in paperback or Kindle In her review of my book, Dr. Natasha Campbell-McBride included this (see the entire review here):

"Amy was able to combine her personal experience with the clinical observations from her patients. That is why her book has an unmistakable quality of genuine information, from a person who knows what she is talking about."

I am also publishing My Daily Insights: A GAPS Journal on Amazon. It will be available in paperback (because you can't journal on Kindle), also beginning November 28th. My vision with this journal is not only to give you a place to keep track of so many useful things in one place, but to provide a place for people on this health journey to build community. You can read more about how here.

Please take a moment to like these fan pages on Facebook!

Notes From a GAPS Practitioner

My Daily Insights: A Daily GAPS Journal

Action Against Fear

Last week I shared some of my thoughts about an inspiring quote. You can read it here. Today, let’s talk about some practicals. How does fear really affect us? Can we really overcome it? What does it have to do with health, or GAPS, or healing ?The principle of “action conquers fear” can be applied in every area of our lives.

Like in the things you put off…

Why don't you try a new recipe? Why don't you take that next step in bettering your health? Why don't you stop something you hate, or start something you love. If you follow it to the root, you will probably find that some form of "Iam afraid" is somewhere in your reasoning.

You are not alone. The culture around us loves to manipulate us through fear. Insurance, vaccines, "a blizzard is coming," home security systems and more all play on our fear. Media is excellent at invoking a fear response in us. The next time you turn on the news, ask yourself what they want you to hear in this story? Then pay attention to what you find yourself thinking.  

You are not alone.

So what is your action step? What can you do against the noise and pressure around you? Is there anything you can do? Start with this simple step...

Turn off the voices that feed your fears!

No one needs help being afraid--we do it pretty well by ourselves. So stop letting other people make you more afraid. Quiet their voices or limit your time around them. Get angry at them if you need to. But stop listening! Turn the news off. Steer your conversations (on-line and off-line) to encouraging topics.

And don’t forget the voices inside your head! When negative self-talk, or someone's disapproving words are etched in your memories, they affect you. Instead of the negative, make the goodt hings others have said about you your primary voices. Our minds and bodies are both part of us, so taking care of our emotional and spiritual health are also important. I talk more about this in another post.

On a physical note, many toxins and imbalances can enhance our fear, or inhibit our hopefulness. While it is possible to defeat our fears and choose hope, despite our bodies, things like sleeping enough, eating the right food, and managing our stress can make the fight easier. You can read more about it in this post.

So do it. Take action. And go,Onward!

Action Conquers Fear

"Action conquers fear." -Peter Nivio Zarlenga

I read this inspirational quote for the first time a while back, and it stuck with me--it was what I needed just then.

Fear

Maybe you don’t think you are fearful person. Or you're afraid that you are. Fear manifests in many different ways. It is not just being jumpy, or afraid of zombies, usually we fear more abstract things.

Fear of failure.

Fear of other's opinions.

Fear of giving too much, or being too tired.

Fear of rejection.

Fear of disappointment.

Fear of success.

The list could go on and on…

According to Oxford dictionary, there are many definitions for the noun and verb fear:

• An unpleasant emotion caused by the belief that someone or something is dangerous, likely to cause pain, or a threat:

• (fear for) A feeling of anxiety concerning the outcome of something or the safety and well-being of someone:

• Be afraid of (someone or something) as likely to be dangerous, painful, or threatening:

• Avoid or put off doing something because one is afraid:

• Used to express regret or apology: "I fear I have not completed the project per your expectations"

I think it's interesting that we even use the word fear when we express regret. I believe this shows our deep thoughts--when we do and don't take action.

"Action conquers fear."

Don't get me wrong... I am NOT saying we should never think before we do things, or that we should rush ahead without forethought (usually). But neither should we spend all our time thinking and analyzing. To understand myself better I need to sort out and acknowledge what the fears are that keep me from doing/achieving/being. But in the end, knowing will not remove the fear. What does? Taking action. You can take action even without knowing why you are afraid. It is the shortcut to overcoming, and the most successful way to accomplishment.

Onward!

Real Hope (Jesus)

Many days I do not have the strength to believe that tomorrow will be better.

Many days I do not posses the ability to believe that hope is something available to me.

And, to be honest, there ultimately is no hope without the hope that God gave us in Jesus.

Because the ultimate source of hope is found in Jesus--any other hope is only a shadow or echo of the hope that was made available to us when Jesus died on the cross, paying for our sins, allowing us to be made right with God again.

Without this gift of hope, all other hope is empty and short-lived. Even if our life is awesome here on earth, without an opportunity to be reconciled with God, the awesomeness ends when we die, and we are faced with an eternity alone and without God, which means without anything good. This life is the best it will ever get. Wow, there really is not much hope in that.

However, there is a hope. God did make a way for us to reconcile with Him.

And when that gift is accepted, there is a hope that is beyond circumstances, feelings, hormones, neurotransmitters, toxins, exhaustion, or anything else that life tosses at us.

The hope that Jesus offers is strong enough to bring light into your dark cell, when you don't even believe light exists anymore. And it is real. I would be dishonest to tell you to hope if I did not tell you what real hope was.

If you want to talk to me more about this, please contact me. I would love to share the one sturdy foothold I have--the only one that never moves or fails me, as the world, my health, my emotions, and everything else shifts around me! Do you have a hope like this?

When you have a bad day...

Healing is hard. It takes a long time. We think we are ready for it, and with that initial energy we make it through for a while. Symptoms start subsiding, energy increases, you start feeling things you didn't even know existed! Happiness that lasts all day long. Peace, energy, pain-free days, easy digestion, stronger muscles, better stress tolerance, memory improvement, and much more. You think to yourself "This is awesome! Now I know why people enjoy life and want to be alive."

Then you think: "Great! The worst must be behind me!"

...and then you have a bad day...

...or two, or more...

It may have been from eating too much fruit/honey/nuts in your diet that day. It may have been from forgetting to take probiotics for a couple days, or from increasing your dose. It may have been from too much stress, a change in routine, not enough meat stock, a new food you aren't ready for yet, missing your normal detox routine, or seemingly just from breathing wrong.

And you are reminded of how frail you are. How sick you are.

How precariously your new-found health is balanced on a thread

...and that thread is ready to break at any time.

It's hard.

There are days that it is all you can do to get through the day. Sometimes physically, but definitely mentally. It is hard to remember that you were getting better, that you have had mostly good days for weeks, maybe even months.  Because you are only just making it. Then, whatever encouragement and strength you were leaning on deflated, and you are left holding up the crumpled cane.

There are so many emotions in play at this point--fear, anger, exhaustion, discouragement, depression, despair, anxiety, stress, panic, feeling overwhelmed. Wanting to curl up into a ball and stay there until the world passes by and learns to do without you. And often you feel silly about it, because to others, you may look fine, act fine, and seem normal.

These are the days it takes courage to overcome. And strength. And support. And energy. And thankfulness. And more than you feel you have to give. And sometimes it is more than you have to give. Without people around you, without God, without support and love, it would be much harder.

On these days you need to reach out to your support. Ask for prayer, let someone help you with housework or come over and cry with you. And remember, tomorrow is another day. And tomorrow will be different--it may be better or worse, or it may be about the same. But it might be better. Hold onto that hope.* It will get you through. *I can have hope that someday it will be better, because my hope is in something deeper than my health, or what I may encounter in this world. You can read about my hope here.

So when you have a hard day, give yourself a break, take things off your plate, reach out to those who love you, and have courage. You are doing something to be proud of!

How do I know? I have those days too. We are in this journey together. On these days, we walk as far as we can, and fight to believe the hope that tomorrow brings.

As we go, Onward!

Announcing...

Attention! Exciting announcement! I am announcing an exciting addition to help people on their journey to heal! I have officially expanded to have a primary care practice. I am able to fully function as a primary care provider (ordering labs, making referrals, doing well physicals) with the exception of prescribing or managing medications. But with diet and lifestyle changes, many medications may not be necessary. I would also like to share with you here, what I wrote about why I am who I am, and why I am doing what I am doing.

I am able to provide nursing care and support in a way I have desired and imagined since I first read biographies about Clara Barton (founded the Red Cross) and Florence Nightingale (“founder of modern nursing”) before I was ten! I loved the model of community health care, visiting nurses taking care of the sick and well, going from home to home doing baby weights, comforting the dying, and providing education. When I took community health in nursing school, I was disappointed at the changes that have occurred over the last hundred year. Developing countries have institutionalized the care of health–which we now call our health care system. Don’t get me wrong–we have had many great advances in medicine–surgery, procedures, life support–all these have lowered the death rate from accidents and other problems, and they are great!

But I had fallen in love with a different model of nursing, and although I loved my nursing job for many years, what I loved most about it was it looked like our history–when I felt that I was emulating my nursing “mothers.” I loved the idea of being able to be in a family’s world. To be with them through their most exciting and most difficult life events. Birth and death. Joy and sadness. To be there when the light bulb goes on, and they accept into their minds some new and previously foreign concept about sanitation, health, diet, immune support, whatever it may be. To provide the education that brought them to that point. To be accepted as part of their family–to be trusted with that humbling responsibility.

And this is what I love!

And this is why I am so excited to be where I am today. The pieces came together quickly in the end. I am still at times surprised and just trying to catch my breath. But when I look back at the last 10 years of my life, I see the pieces God put together in a wonderful design–and I feel so blessed! There are times when I am so tired (mostly from doing the business side of this), and then I receive a phone call from a mom, or individual who is seeking someone to listen to them, so afraid yet another person will tell them they are making it up. After listening, grieving with them about the hard journey they have been on, and then sharing some hope that was recently shared with me, my exhaustion melts away. I often hang up the phone, smiling, and exclaim out loud (usually to an empty room) “I love my job! I love what I do!” Because this is when I am refreshed and renewed. This is what I was made for!

I believe God has many plans for me, and many things for me to do throughout my life–both hard and easy. But I am so grateful that I am able to use this part of how I am made in such a big way! And that I get to take part in bringing a blessing to the lives of others.

Onward!

Thanksgiving in October

There is something exciting and magical about Fall! I am part of a garden co-op, and we had our harvest feast last night! Everything (essentially) was from our garden and harvest, including the honey and eggs! What a feast we had--and it was great knowing that it was grown and picked (very) locally, and in season. We actually had a tough year--a fungus on our sprouts, a late frost (in June), hail, bugs, an early freeze... yet the yield was exciting!

I have enough winter squash to last me months; apples, plumbs and herbs to dry; tomatoes cooked and frozen; kale to make into chips; and salad to eat for weeks still!  This is on top of the fresh veggies we have been eating (as fast as possible) for the last 2 months. Colorado does have a short growing season, but with a good gardener (not me, I am just learning) and commitment to cover things during freak freezes, you can grow many wonderful things.  

The bees had a hard time as well, but we still ended up with over 3 gallons of honey! And their busy work brought beautiful flowers, fruit, and vegetables! I am so thankful for them, and my friend who is doing bees with me, and is not afraid of them still (even though she got stung 9 times)  

And so we were discussing last night that Thanksgiving should be in October in Colorado, when harvest is in here. Because it is then that we are remembering how much we have to be so thankful for! Even if you don't have a garden, take a moment to think about all the great and beautiful things around you--everything from changing leaves and the start of sweater weather, to holidays coming and routine re-appearing after the whirlwind-of-a-summer is over. So... what are you thankful for?

Onward!

Birthday Cake!

In celebration of my friend's birthday, I made an "Amazingly Delicious Carrot Cake" (that's what the recipe was called, at least) from the "Heal Your Gut Cookbook." I am so excited to have found such a delicious-looking recipe, and if the batter is any indication, the cake is going to be delicious. I will not be able to tell you how it tastes until tomorrow... I am quite nervous, actually, because this is my first attempt at a GAPS legal cake.

One ingredient in it that I have never even heard of *gasp, I know* is coconut butter (or coconut manna--they can be used interchangeably). This is not a more expensive version of coconut oil, as I first thought, but a coconut puree. I bought a jar (a bit pricey) at our local health food grocery store, or you can make your own.

Coconut butter is very sweet, and can be used as a little sweet snack. However, because there is more fiber, and it is much sweeter than coconut oil, if you are following GAPS, you should not introduce it until Introduction stage 6 or full GAPS. But if you can tolerate it, I would recommend trying this delicious coconut treat!

Sometimes I wonder why we even want to eat processed sugar, this cake is going to be so rich, moist and delicious!

Sadly for you, this picture cannot portray the enticing aroma I am experiencing! You will just have to try it out for yourself!

The cake is done & out of the oven!

It looks and smells delicious! I am going to stack the cakes, and drizzle them with a frosting consisting of cultured cream, lemon zest, vanilla and honey--yum!!!

*If you want to make this delcious cake, you can find it in The Heal Your Gut Cookbook. For you locals, I keep copies available for purchase!

Still Healing

Hi everyone,

I realize I have been absent on the web for the last little while, and I would like to share why...

I have been recently reminded that my body is still healing... I have felt so great over the last few months that I forgot that I am healing years and years of sickness and imbalance, and that does not magically disappear overnight, or even over a few months. I'm glad that I am where I am--in so many ways and for so many reasons. I am glad I am healing, even when it takes so much energy to do so. Even though I have to slow down... maybe I'm glad because I have to slow down.

... maybe I'm glad because I have to slow down

I'm glad to be reminded about what I am healing from. Some "flare ups" and detoxing that I have been experiencing the last couple weeks have reminded me what my "normal" used to be. I'm glad it is not my normal anymore. Some of this flair up has been out of my control... some crazy things have happened to people around me that has made my life busier, because I have been helping them out. But most is in my control. A little more sleep, a little laziness in not getting up when I remembered I forgot to take fermented cod liver oil. Giving in to eating a little to much fruit, and not enough stock because it's easy. Because it's what I want in the moment, not prioritizing investing in what my body needs. __And____________Down_________________________I__________________________________Went  

Down and out!

Focus on sleep, rest, time out from the world and the busyness of life--whether or not I could "afford" to do so. My body was starting to wander from the path of healing and wellness. Since I was not giving it foods to heal, it was making me slow down physically, taking the energy it needed.

...which is good...

I appreciate the human body so much more than I ever have, and the amazing ways it compensates and presses on even with little to work with. But there are certain foods that help it heal and function well, and I know what they are. And with my knowledge comes my responsibility. To my body. To myself.

Also, I was letting my neighborhood run down--and unsavory characters were gaining strength in my gut. They were starting to dictate what I was craving again. And adding toxins to my body to further slow me down. And it becomes hard to fight all that. It is discouraging that I have to keep fighting to correct the bad that has been happening for years. And hard that it can so quickly slip away. It is hard to remember that I am still recovering, and not very far away from the time when I was very sick.

So the choice is there--fight again, or go back to how I was. I was functional, but also so cautious. Not able to make a mistake without miserable consequences like migraines, stomach aches, and more. I could go there--it sure is easier than GAPS, and I would be fine, probably, for a while...

But I have a bigger goal--not just to be alive, survive, exist. My goal is to heal. To be well--as well as I can manage to be with my imperfect body in this broken world. To be in a state of living!

Thankfully I took action early. It only took a week to get my trajectory back on course. I've almost regained that lost ground--almost. But I have gained something else that is very valuable. A deeper resolve to continue. To invest and expect a return, even when that investment is a little uncomfortable, and a little inconvenient. So forward I go--not perfectly or without faltering. But I know which direction I want to go, and I know that which lies in that direction is worth the journey.

Onward!

Just two months...

Waiting in my inbox this week was a wonderful surprise!

At my training I had heard rumors, we had initiated discussions, and all of us knew that this would be a great idea... if only someone would do the work. Well, someone has! Coming September 16th, 2014...

The Heal Your Gut Cookbook by Hilary Boynton and Mary Brackett, with foreword by Dr. Natasha Campbell-McBride

This looks like an awesome book! It was created by 2 GAPS parents, and contains over 200 recipes you can use to heal your body--all GAPS legal! Sorting through the myriad of recipes (even GAPS specific recipes) is a challenge for anyone on this diet, including me. I cannot wait for this book to get published so I can get my hands on a copy and start cooking! Although I know it will not do the work for me, it will make the preparing to prepare time shorter. It will also make it easier to answer the "What are we having for dinner" question. And it comes with pictures! Did I mention that? This is almost a must for me when I am purchasing a cookbook. These are available to me on September 1st, and I will be purchasing several. Reserve your copy by contacting me today. You can check out more at http://www.chelseagreen.com/downloads/HealYourGut_PR.pdf  

*I did not receive any compensation for advertising this product

Beginnings...

Starting a business while still fairly new to the GAPS diet. That’s a great idea…Said no one ever!

But how could I wait?

After a lifetime of taking care of people, 5 years of undergraduate work to become a nurse, 4 more years of graduate school to become a family nurse practitioner, and almost 6 years of dietary research for my own personal health reasons.

I was introduced to the GAPS diet less than a year ago, but because of the many answers I found in the science that Dr. Natasha Campbell-McBride explains, I quickly and naturally adapted it into my approach to healing. I did not have to learn a lot of new information, because this is a simple but comprehensive approach to the health issues rocking our nation. And I have been so excited to find a path of knowledge and research that has answered some deep questions I had developed, and answered many others I had not yet formed.

And so, it was born... and here is optimistic me looking forward to making an impact in the (un)health of the people that God puts in my path to help.

Are you wanting to join me on this journey? Onward!